Hot Water Music calls it quits: an open letter from Chuck Ragan

MAY 15, 2006

In a moving world, some days shine and some days burn. We more so accept than
create random acts of movement. Those acts of movement make us who we are. At
some point they become intentional means of survival. Then as we all know,
sooner or later it becomes a survival where we see fit.

Early in the days of all of this I never thought to question outcomes or
reactions to my actions. I did what I did and was fueled by words from loved
ones, a drive for life and an undying misery of always being on the cusp of
understanding (or not), our disarray of society. I found purpose and strength
through my best friends, music, and a quest for the truth. Throughout that
journey, I became who I am today. I also found the day in and day out monotony
of the road and the "job" that HWM had become, had taken a serious toll. Just as
I have done throughout my life when my heart turns in a direction for the sake
of well being, I followed it. HWM has always been to me living true, free and
unbound. Stay true to who you are to begin with and you'll be true to who you
are in the end.

This is a letter primarily directed to all of our fans, family, and friends. A
lot of you have been left in the dark as to why we decided to stop touring as
HWM in the first place. For this I must apologize. Though this letter should
have happened a while back, it has taken us all a bit of time to acclimate to
where we are in life. Stepping off a moving merry-go-round if you will. I must
say overall this is a letter of gratitude, as well as a letter to expel any
rumors or things that have lead anyone in the wrong direction as far as what
has, is and will be taking place in the life of song for all of us.

My friends, Hot Water Music as we all knew it is no longer. A great chapter in
our lives has come to a close. We must say so long, and farewell. This is not to
say by any means that we will never take a stage again together or find our way
onto some tracks together, but where we are in our lives at this moment, it
won't be anytime soon.

This is mainly a public announcement to let everyone know that we have all moved
into different directions within our personal and professional lives. As far as
our own music goes none of us are slowing down in anyway. George, Jason, and
Chris are moving full steam ahead with The
Draft as their primary focus and I'm paddling my own canoe. I'm working on a
solo record that's long overdue and having a damn good time with it. I'll play
shows, but for making my way and a living, I'm called to cutting big sticks into
little sticks. For me in many ways, wood has all the same properties as music. I
have just as much passion for shaping and working wood as I do playing my guitar
or writing a song. They're one in the same and don't even get me started on
fishing! So the music will never die, just evolve. I'm moving on a different
plane. Ready to settle down, write more songs, make more records, catch more
fish, make love and babies with my sweet wife, slide sideways down mountains,
build large structures that I draw on paper, and grow more food than we buy. So
none of us are gone. Just evolved.

I must say that I have never in my life ever known such a display of dedication,
desire, and will to carry on than through the HWM fans around the world. I don't
believe I could ever truly find the right words to express my gratitude and
sincere thanks to all the amazing souls who sacrificed what they had to make it
to our shows and make them live! All those who traveled, followed, escaped,
sneaked in or barged in to be apart of this movement. You are all a huge reason
that we survived through days that most don't. Some of you know the tolls and
trials of the road. As well as the glories and lights at the end of the tunnels.
Some of you may be completely oblivious as to what it can do to a spirit and a
body by subjecting yourself to what can be an extremely unhealthy way of life.
It can most definitely feel like your being torn apart from the inside out at
times. To say the least, it can be far from glamorous most of 23 hours in a day.
I must say though that the moments that I found myself amongst my best friends
and a crowd of people singing and sweating, laughing and moving to words,
melodies, and busted up rhythms that we created in a beat up warehouse in
Florida, were nothing but pure magic. Even through the hard times we always
laughed, wrote, fought, slept, drank, and rocked to found our way to why we were
there to begin with. We had to. It was our duty and our responsibility to
ourselves, each other as brothers and to the good people who would come to
support us through all of it. A lot of you would always ask us if we were ok.
How the tours were treating us. How we survived. How we did it and why we did it
for so long. A lot of the times we weren't. Some of the times we were truly on
top of the world. It was the calling, it was the healing, and it was the
enlightenment that was felt after releasing every ounce of energy, thought, and
motion throughout a show. It was as we once called it, "The Lifting." Even
though at times of being there and putting ourselves through what we had to do
to get up on that stage and let it rip like it was our last was more hurtful to
ourselves than anything, you sacrificed for us, let us sacrifice for you.

Thank you my friends for a decade of support, loyalty and dedication. Thank you
for growing up with us living and learning the hard way most of the time. You
made it for us. I hope we did the same for you! Thank you for the memories, the
support and all of your gracious attention through all of our transitions,
battles, broken sticks and strings, breakdowns and revelations that we were able
to turn into music. You fueled this fire! What you taught us on this road has
been absolutely priceless. I wish all the best in luck, love, and life to each
and every one of you and yours. You have helped mold us into the people we are
today and it will never be forgotten.